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Ensuring the safety of your home and loved ones is critical in today’s world. A garage door sensor can help bolster your home security. It improves the performance and functionality of door operation using advanced technology for effective protection and safety.
Installing garage door sensors is a step toward a comprehensive security plan to protect your residential property. All Security Equipment makes this plan a reality with our collection of garage door sensors tailored for everybody’s needs.
The Importance of Garage Door Sensors
- Property Protection. Vehicles won’t become damaged because the door won’t close in on them.
- Accident Prevention. The garage door will reverse its motion when an obstruction is detected, reducing accidents and injuries.
- Safety Enhancement. The different garage door sensors work specifically to address potential injuries and damage to property, pets, and people.
- Increase security. The sensors can send alerts when the garage door remains open for an extended time, which is useful if you forget to close the door. Some sensors also automatically close the garage door.
Top Garage Door Sensor Options
The proactive steps you take to protect your home determine the overall security level of your property. Choosing the right technology and equipment is all up to you. For this reason, you should be mindful of the different garage door sensor options that are available.
Here are the top sensor options for residential garage doors:
Safety Sensors
Most automatic garage doors are equipped with safety sensors. These sensors prevent the garage door from closing when an obstruction is detected. Safety sensors are usually installed on either side of the garage door, typically on the rails.
The sensors connect through infrared beams. An obstruction is detected when something—a car, pet, or person, for example—interrupts the beam. Once it detects an obstruction, the garage door reverses its motion, reducing the likelihood of crashing into the obstacle.
The LiftMaster 041-0136 safety sensor kit is the best example of this type of garage door sensor. It is compatible with LiftMaster and Chamberlain belt-drive and chain-drive garage door openers. It also features myQ technology and a Secure View Video camera.
Monitoring Sensors
Adding a sensor upgrades your garage door. Monitoring sensors are a great addition because they alert you whenever the doors are open. Typically used in homes with multiple garage doors, they allow homeowners to monitor which doors are currently open.
The alerts may come through receivers set up inside the house or through apps on your devices. Monitoring sensors may also automatically close the doors once a certain time elapses.
In some cases, homeowners can choose and set the time themselves. Using this type of garage door sensor keeps homeowners aware of the multiple garage doors they have and heightens security protection by minimizing theft caused by open doors.
Pressure Sensors
Pressure sensors are placed at the bottom edge of the garage door. They work similarly to safety sensors in obstruction detection. However, instead of using beams, pressure sensors have to come into contact with another object. Once the sensors touch an obstructive object, it’ll reverse the door’s downward motion.
Temperature Sensors
Temperature sensors monitor the garage temperature. They are not common, but they are definitely useful in many ways.
A sensor that monitors temperature can alert you to sudden changes in the garage. Extreme temperatures, for example, might indicate issues with your piping system or appliances.
Some temperature sensors can also regulate the temperature inside and keep it to a desired level, which helps keep tools and vehicles properly stored. Sommer ismartgate is a waterproof wireless sensor with temperature monitoring capability.
It also monitors the overall garage door status. Its waterproof construction makes it more durable for withstanding external weather conditions. You may need an Apple Homekit to upgrade it with an obstruction detection feature. The ismartgate is used for sectional doors and tilt garage doors only.
RPM Sensor
RPM sensors (Revolutions Per Minute) are important in garage door operation for monitoring motor speed. As a crucial garage door opener hardware, the RPM sensor also monitors the rotational position of the door’s gearbox using real-time data on the door’s movement.
The RPM sensor enhances the safety mechanisms of residential garage doors by helping the door operator adjust its operation when needed. It also enables the door to control its opening and closing movements.
One of the best RPM sensors on the market is from LiftMaster. The LiftMaster RPM sensorkit has a five-bladed photo interrupter, which measures the motor’s rotational speed more effectively. The blade passes through infrared light beams and generates a pulse to calculate the RPM.
Motion Sensors
Motion sensors also serve as safety sensors because they check for obstructions and prevent the door from closing if there are any, just like the other sensors. Additionally, motion sensors can also detect incoming vehicles and allow entry with the proper access credential for hands-free operation.
We recommend the SommerMWave Intelligent RadarSensor and the LiftMaster 886LMW as the best motion sensors. Both sensors have unique features that are useful for homeowners.
Compatibility Check Before Purchase
Compatibility checks ensure that the sensor you want fits your current garage door model and saves you unnecessary expenses.
Some sensor models may not be compatible with your existing garage door opener. So, check your garage door operator’s instruction manual as well as the sensor’s instruction guide to see if they can be used together.
If you cannot find the necessary information, we can help you at All Security Equipment.
Give us a call, and we will match you with the best garage door sensor from our wide inventory.
